There are different names to call a natural disaster, but whatever it’s called, it is something that strikes with or without warning. Billions of dollars were lost in 2011 due to many natural catastrophes. There were numerous hurricanes and tornados that hit the United States alone. Several earthquakes of varying magnitudes rocked and destroyed places on the East Coast, in Colorado and in Peru. A devastating tsunami hit Japan, while Queensland, Australia, Bangkok and most recently the Philippines, suffered from destructive floods. The world has learned a lesson that natural disasters should be put on the top of the risk list.

Businesses and government agencies should make necessary preparations for all these imminent calamities. A disaster recovery plan should be made by every business and agency. The world today is driven by information, and that is why power outages and network failures can trigger further disasters. Adapting and responding to these risks should not come too late for every business if it is to survive. There should be uninterrupted and continuous access to data, whether it is personal or corporate in nature, no matter what happens.

You should know more about other phishing scams that you might come across so that you will be able to handle them well. Be careful of sites that try to convince you to send personal information if you are looking for a job online. These cyber criminals are working behind legal job sites just to improve their reputation. They also make use of familiar-looking logos and convincing language that could draw your interest. You will be surprised that the links that they use are leading to phony websites that only appear to be owned by legitimate companies.

Beware of sites that do not ask for personal information, but do charge you fees for services that they claim to offer. There have been victims of this kind of scam when they paid for services that actually do not exist. This kind of online scam is so effective that there is a constant increase in the number of related complaints. It is not easy to catch these criminals because they “close down” their business after a while and vanish.

Job hunters like you can stay safe if you remember these few tips. Keep private any personal information that is not related to work. A legitimate prospective employer would not ask for your social security number, date of birth, home address, etc. Only those that are up to no good would ask for these. It should also be a rule of thumb that you should never give out any of this information over the phone, through email, or by fax.

As Christmas draws nearer, parents are thinking which tech toys to give to their kids. They are busy studying their children’s wish lists that include smartphones, tablets, and computers. Parents will happily agree to purchase a tech toy, and then be satisfied as they watch their kids click or tap on their newest, prized possession. However, giving tech toys to children is just like giving them a bike. Parents will always pair the bike with a helmet for protection. Similarly, technology gifts should also come with protection.

It is sad to think that many parents do not realize the need to child-proof these devices. They do not fully understand that these gadgets open the world, by way of the web, to children. Parents should make sure that their kids do not happen upon the unpleasant side of the internet. In their young minds, kids cannot grasp the reality that there are lots of things online that are not meant for them.

Children need sufficient protection so that they do not open a Pandora’s Box with their new tech toys. Children might be bombarded with millions of x-rated web pages, violent videos, websites with alarming topics from gambling to guns, and many more. Parents should be prepared to deal with this problem and should look for software that could help filter the good from the bad.

As the number of data breach cases increases, more users realize that they themselves are to be blamed for these breaches. They give too much information online without being conscious of its consequences. The time comes when they cannot believe that there is so much information about them when they do a “self-search”. They question how this happened, only to remember that they shared this information on one site or another. They now want to win back their privacy, but it seems very difficult, if not impossible.

It is too late for users now to realize that every time they are online, there are many third parties that watch their online actions. There are lots of marketers, game developers and search engines who have their own purposes. However, these third parties are up to one common factor. They will do anything to collect as much information as they can from internet users. Behind all this is the assurance that someday, they can make lots of money from whatever valuable information they can gather.

One user tells a story of how he found a large amount of information about himself in just a simple search. He could not believe that the site “knew” where he lives, his addresses in the last ten years, household members, food preferences, and even had a picture of his house! It is no wonder why many users want to win back total control over their own identities. The first step that they need to take is to remove their information from the internet.

More and more users are becoming aware of their privacy on the internet. It seems that online crime and fraud have entered into the consciousness of users. Gone are those days when users did not care about setting privacy limits in their surfing activities. Today, they want to know how their shared information will be handled. There are an increasing number of users who seek fraud protection from retailers.

There was a recent survey regarding online fraud consciousness of users. It was conducted jointly by a privacy research firm and a fraud prevention service provider. Its results revealed that 85% of users today worry about becoming an online fraud victim. This is higher compared to the 80% the last time the same entities conducted a similar study. The latest results gathered from the sample population implied that users are worrying about identity theft, credit card scams, spam, phishing, and others.

The respondents said that web retailers should intensify their efforts to combat online fraud. They said further that retailers should do their best to stop online criminals from stealing consumer information. They even expressed their willingness to be identified online if there are trusted sites. From the survey, a good number of respondents suggested the use of computer serial number, ISP, computer type and make for authentication purposes. This is an alternative to the usual personally identifiable information like telephone number and date of birth.

An inquiry is going on regarding the lawful use of Data Extraction Devices (DEDs) by the Michigan State Police (MSP). The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is asking for an explanation about how these devices are being used. These relatively new devices can extract almost all vital information stored in a cell phone. These could include contact lists, photos, and even deleted messages.

CelleBrite is the manufacturer of this powerful DED. The company said that among its customers are Sprint, Verizon, AT&T and some other communications companies. DEDs have been successfully used commercially to transfer data when a phone is upgraded. The same manufacturer explained, on its website, the capacity of the device. Under normal operation, it can recover even deleted and hidden data, and can access contact lists, photos and text messages.

The critics are concerned about how the device is used by the police and not on its intended use by the manufacturer. Considering that the police force is using it as an investigative tool, the concerned groups want to be certain that there is no privacy violation. The ACLU doubts that there could not be a possible intrusion to privacy during the performance of searches. There might be abuses committed by officers just to obtain information.

There is good news regarding protecting personal information on the internet. Google and Mozilla have just joined Microsoft in giving users the freedom of opting out of tracking cookies. Google announced that it will provide an add-on for its Chrome browser. Users will now have more freedom from tracking cookies that monitor their movement and online behavior. This is a clear indication that tech companies now recognize the need for a balance between revenue generation and individual privacy.

The online advertising industry is continuously pushing for self-regulation. For a long time, they did not show positive response towards the call to give users more privacy. There have been numerous proposals for better privacy policies that protect individual privacy, and this recent development will be a turnaround for users to gain more control over their personal information.

As users give out their personal information, they do not realize the possible consequences of doing so. For many of them, reading the website’s privacy policies is a tedious job. They skim over the information so that they do not understand how their personal information will be handled. Later on, they will wonder why they have become targets of unsolicited advertisements. In short, their privacy has been compromised.

The average American household has access to at least one Internet-ready computer now. That means that every time your family boots up the computer system, you are potentially exposing your information to the rest of the world. In a matter of seconds, your Internet privacy can be compromised by hackers, identity thieves and other criminals who can use your family’s information for illegal and immoral activities. Protect your family’s personal information by utilizing some of the free and low cost Internet privacy software available today.

Internet Surfing History “Erasers” – Whenever you visit websites, check your email or conduct transactions online, your personal web surfing history is stored in your computer cache. Criminals who can access your hard-drive can get to your sensitive personal information, including the keystrokes you’ve made. Even if you try to delete your web browsing history, clear cookies and temporary files from within your Internet browser, this information is still not fully erased from your computer records. There are several Internet surfing history eraser software applications now available that can clear all remnants of your Internet browsing history.

This world is all about one thing, information. Every time you connect to the Internet, your every action is being watched, logged and saved in databases all over the world. Most of the time, almost always actually, the information is perfectly harmless and can serve to make your surfing a more enjoyable and quicker experience, However, there are times when knowing how to protect your Internet Privacy as well as knowing when and where you are at risk can be an invaluable bit of knowledge.

Online business, activities and transactions are increasing exponentially each year. That means that a ton of money is flowing through this virtual world, and where there is a lot of money, usually, there is a lot of greed as well. Some people will do anything to make a quick buck, so the average consumer needs to be on guard. Unfortunately, many people are still in the dark when in comes to staying safe online. Everyday, there are more and more people who become victims of internet fraud and scams because they have neglected to take online security seriously.